Summary
GCSE English is a high stakes qualification for young people, their teachers and their schools and colleges. When things go wrong with such a qualification, the consequences are very serious for all involved, but particularly for the young people sitting the examination.
The 2012 GCSE English results prompted significant concern, which resulted ultimately in an application for judicial review. The legal challenge was unsuccessful, with the judge endorsing the actions taken by Ofqual and the exam boards. However, there are some very sobering lessons to be learned from the events with GCSE English in 2012. Confidence in the exam system has been shaken and a substantial amount of public money has been spent.
Following the problems experienced in 2012, several changes have been put in place or are proposed to strengthen current GCSE English qualifications until they are replaced in summer 2017. We welcome these changes and believe that they will help to make the current English GCSEs more robust and more resistant to pressures from the accountability system.
Several of the problems with GCSE English can be traced to the qualifications development phase. This underlines the vital importance of getting decisions right during qualifications design. Exam board experts raised concerns at the time, but these were not acted upon by the regulator. One of the crucial lessons to be learned from this episode is that Ofqual and Ministers should listen when concerns are raised during qualification development, especially when they come from specialists in the field.
The Government is embarking on the most significant and wide-ranging reforms to GCSEs and A levels since Ofqual was established as an independent regulator. Forthcoming reforms of GCSEs and A levels will put the new arrangements to the test. We recommend that the DfE and Ofqual set out in detail their respective roles and responsibilities in qualification design, particularly regarding how subject content will be developed, and publish this information before their consultations on GCSE reform have ended.
There is still much to be done to restore confidence in English GCSEs, particularly among teachers. Exam boards must continue to take steps to improve their communication with schools and colleges. Ofqual must also improve its communication with schools and colleges about the marking and grading of exams and its role in standards setting, in order to improve confidence in its work as regulator, particularly among teachers and head teachers. Ofqual should also keep the comparable outcomes approach under review.
Current GCSEs and A levels are jointly owned by the three regulators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These arrangements have been tested to the limit in recent months and it appears that the era of three-country qualifications and regulation is coming to an end. We believe that such an outcome would be regrettable and urge Ministers to do everything possible to retain joint ownership of GCSEs and A levels.
Ofqual now has the necessary expertise to investigate problems with the exam system and this forms a key part of its work as regulator. Ofqual is accountable to Parliament, predominantly through this Committee. In the exceptional event that a wide-ranging and in-depth inquiry is required into the decisions and actions of Ofqual, the Government and the House of Commons should ensure that this Committee is adequately resourced to enable it to investigate the technical processes and procedures in question.
